AIR CLEANING DEVICE II

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device for purification of air, especially for purification of indoor air.

[0002] Many indoor environments have serious problems with air quality. Odour and dust and too much or too little humidity result in discomfort and may lead to health problems.

[0003] There are several methods of purifying the indoor air, the most common being mechanical filtration of circulating air and ionisation of molecules, which are attracted into a voltage field.

[0004] EP 424 335 relates to a procedure and a device for the purification of air, flue gases and the like, where the purification is performed in a shaft, duct or a pipe containing electrodes. There is a potential difference between the electrodes and the wall(s) in the shaft/duct/pipe. The electrodes ionise impurity particles in the air/flue gases and these are then attracted to the walls to which they become attached. The walls are cleaned of impurities by flushing them with water at regular intervals.

[0005] The disadvantage of devices of this type is that they employ extremely high voltage in order to ionise particles or molecules, thereby involving a high voltage source in the device, which may constitute a potential risk in case of contact.

[0006] US 4204844 regards a system for transferring a conductive liquid from a reservoir of the liquid at a first electric potential to receiving equipment which charges the liquid to a second electric potential. Charged liquid which attracts particles which have a different potential is used in a closed system by bringing a contaminated gas into contact with a charged liquid.

[0007] Another disadvantage of existing air purification devices is that the impurities accumulate in the devices and have to be removed manually when the amount of accumulated impurities has become too great.

[0008] The object of the invention is to provide a device for purification of indoor air, which is effective for several types of impurities, which does not involve any risk and where the impurities are finally removed from the environment that has to be purified.

[0009] The object of the invention is achieved by means of the features in the patent claims.

[0010] The device according to the invention comprises a drip chamber, which is adapted for connection to the ordinary water mains, a metal plate, a nozzle that is connected to the drip chamber and disposed above the metal plate and a collecting vessel. The object of the drip chamber is to convert the continuous flow of water from the mains to discrete drops, thus forming a water reservoir in the bottom of the drip chamber, which is electrically insulated from the water supply while the reservoir still receives a constant new supply of water. The water from the reservoir is passed on to the nozzle and sprayed over the steel plate. An impressed voltage on the nozzle, and thereby the water, attracts the impurities in the air and these will then bind to the water and follow the water when it runs down into a collecting vessel, which is subsequently emptied into the house's drainage system.

[0011] In a preferred embodiment the device may also be equipped with a device, which comprises a metallic cylinder and a fan. The fan is disposed at one end of the cylinder, while the other end of the cylinder is closed. The fan blows air into the cylinder, thus producing an overpressure in the cylinder. Use is preferably made of a centrifugal fan, which requires a certain amount of air circulation in order to function. In this case the cylinder will therefore be equipped with a hole at the opposite end. Impurities will become attached to the outside of the cylinder.

[0012] In a further embodiment the device may also comprise current conducting coils, which are wound round it. The coils are wound in such a manner that the electric fields generated round these coils when current passes through them form a common electric field. The device's other units are placed in the centre of this field.

[0013] The invention will now be described in greater detail by means of an example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 illustrates the drip chamber.

Figure 2 illustrates the metal plate and nozzle.

Figure 3 illustrates the electrical connections for a metal plate in the device according to the invention.

Figure 4 illustrates a metallic cylinder with a fan that creates overpressure in the cylinder.

Figure 5 illustrates a preferred orientation of current conducting coils.

[0014] The device comprises a supply pipe 21 for connecting to the water mains. Water from the ordinary mains will thereby flow into the drip chamber 20.

[0015] The device further comprises a spreader 22, which is connected in the drip chamber 20 and which converts the continuous flow of water into discrete drops 26, which drip down into the bottom of the drip chamber 20. The spreader 22 works by the water running down an umbrella-like unit where the outer edge of the "umbrella" has a row of points 27. The flow of water is small enough to permit the water to be passed towards the points 27 and drip off them. The bottom of the drip chamber is designed in such a manner that the water is collected and forms a water reservoir 23. The water in the water reservoir 23 is therefore electrically insulated from the water in the supply pipe 21. The drip chamber is airtight, thus causing a small overpressure to build up there when the water flows in through the supply pipe 21 and the spreader 22. The drip chamber 20 also comprises an overpressure valve 25. The water from the water reservoir then continues through the drainpipe 24 into a nozzle 30 in figure 2. The nozzle 30 delivers a spray of water on to a metal plate 31, with the result that the area round the nozzle and the adjacent area of the metal plate are surrounded by a mist-like cloud of water. The metal in the plate 31 is preferably stainless steel or another non-corrosive metal. The nozzle 30 and/or the metal plate 33 are provided with electrical connections 33 for impressing a voltage. The water, which is thereby also under voltage, will attract electrically charged molecules/particles and hold on to them. The metal plate 31 is tilted, with the result that the water runs over the plate and down into a collecting vessel, which is not illustrated. The collecting vessel has an emptying function with a level switch, thus causing the water to be emptied out when a certain amount of water has collected.

[0016] Figure 3 illustrates how the metal plate 31 or nozzle 30 is electrically insulated from the environment, but electrically connected to a rectifying bridge 12. The rectifying bridge 12 is electrically connected to a transformer 13 for stepping-down an alternating voltage of 220V from the ordinary power grid to an alternating voltage of 45V. The rectifying bridge is earthed via a switch 14 (to the chassis). With this configuration the potential difference between the metal plate 31 and earth 11 can be altered by connecting and disconnecting the switch.

[0017] In an alternative embodiment in figure 4, the device also comprises a metallic cylinder 40, which has a fan 41, preferably a centrifugal fan, at one end and a restriction 42, which restricts the airflow, at the other end. Other types of fan may also be used, e.g. a type that does not require air circulation, in which case the opposite end of the pipe may be completely closed. The cylinder will attract molecules, thereby increasing the efficiency of the device according to the invention.

[0018] In another alternative embodiment the device may comprise an air humidifier of a known per se type for increasing the humidity of the air surrounding the apparatus.

Claims

1. A device for purification of air,
characterised in that it comprises

- a drip chamber (20) adapted for connecting to a water supply comprising a supply pipe (21) for water, a spreader (22) for converting a continuous flow of water from the supply pipe (21) to discrete drops and a water reservoir (23), which is electrically insulated from the supply pipe, the device for purification of air further comprising:

- a nozzle (30) connected to the lower portion of the drip chamber (20)

- a metal plate (31) for receiving the water from the nozzle and passing it on

- electrical connections connected to the nozzle (30) and/or the metal plate (31) in order to impress a voltage on the nozzle (30) and/or metal plate (31) and thereby the water that runs through/on the nozzle/the metal plate.

2. A device as in claim 1,
characterised in that it also comprises

- a collecting vessel for collecting the water from the metal plate.

3. A device as in claim 2,
characterised in that the collecting vessel is equipped with a level switch, which controls the emptying of the collecting vessel.

4. A device as in one of the preceding claims,
characterised in that it also comprises a metallic cylinder (40) with a fan (41) at one end and a restriction (42) at the other end.

5. A device as in one of the preceding claims,
characterised in that it also comprises an air humidifier.

Ansprüche

1. Vorrichtung zum Reinigen von Luft,
dadurch gekennzeichnet,
dass die Vorrichtung folgendes aufweist:

- eine Tropfkammer (20), die dazu ausgelegt ist, an eine Wasserversorgung angeschlossen zu werden, die eine Versorgungsleitung (21) für Wasser, einen Verteiler (22), um eine kontinuierliche Wasserströmung von der Versorgungsleitung (21) in einzelne Tropfen umzuwandeln, sowie ein Wasserreservoir (23) aufweist, das gegenüber der Versorgungsleitung elektrisch isoliert ist,

wobei die Vorrichtung zum Reinigen von Luft ferner folgendes aufweist:

- eine Düse (30), die an den unteren Bereich der Tropfkammer (20) angeschlossen ist,

- eine Metallplatte (31), um das Wasser von der Düse aufzunehmen und weiterzuleiten, und

- elektrische Verbindungen, die an die Düse (30) und/oder die Metallplatte (31) angeschlossen sind, um eine Spannung an die Düse (30) und/oder die Metallplatte (31) und damit an das Wasser anzulegen, das durch die Düse bzw. auf der Metallplatte läuft.

2. Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 1,
dadurch gekennzeichnet,
dass sie ferner folgendes aufweist:

einen Sammelbehälter zum Sammeln des Wassers von der Metallplatte.

3. Vorrichtung nach Anspruch 2,
dadurch gekennzeichnet,
dass der Sammelbehälter mit einem Pegelschalter ausgerüstet ist, der das Entleeren des Sammelbehälters steuert.

4. Vorrichtung nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche,
dadurch gekennzeichnet,
dass sie ferner einen Metallzylinder (40) mit einem Gebläse (41) an dem einen Ende und einer Begrenzung (42) an dem anderen Ende aufweist.

5. Vorrichtung nach einem der vorhergehenden Ansprüche,
dadurch gekennzeichnet,
dass sie ferner einen Luftbefeuchter aufweist.

Revendications

1. Dispositif d'épuration d'air,
caractérisé en ce qu'il comprend :

- une chambre d'écoulement goutte à goutte (20) adaptée être connectée à une alimentation en eau comprenant un tuyau d'alimentation (21) pour l'eau, un diffuseur (22) destiné à convertir un écoulement d'eau continu en provenance du tuyau d'alimentation (21) en gouttes discrètes et un réservoir d'eau (23), qui est isolé de manière électrique du tuyau d'alimentation, le dispositif d'épuration d'air comprenant en outre :

- une buse (30) connectée à la partie inférieure de la chambre d'écoulement goutte à goutte (20) ;

- une plaque métallique (31) destinée à recevoir l'eau en provenance de la buse et à la faire passer dessus ;

- des connexions électriques connectées à la buse (30) et / ou à la plaque métallique (31) de façon à appliquer une tension à la buse (30) et / ou à la plaque métallique (31) et de ce fait à l'eau qui circule à travers la buse / sur la plaque métallique.

2. Dispositif selon la revendication 1,
caractérisé en ce qu'il comprend en outre :

- un contenant de collecte destiné à collecter l'eau en provenance de la plaque métallique.

3. Dispositif selon la revendication 2,
caractérisé en ce que le contenant de collecte est équipé d'un commutateur de niveau qui commande le vidage du contenant de collecte.

4. Dispositif selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes,
caractérisé en ce qu'il comprend en outre :

- un cylindre métallique (40) avec un ventilateur (41) situé au niveau d'une extrémité et un dispositif de restriction (42) situé au niveau de l'autre extrémité.

5. Dispositif selon l'une quelconque des revendications précédentes,
caractérisé en ce qu'il comprend en outre :

- un humidificateur d'air.

Drawing